Kris D. Roberts

ABSTRACT

In 1991, following a groundwater monitoring project involving the reclamation
of abandoned uraniferous lignite mines, the North Dakota Department of Health,
Division of Water Quality carried out a groundwater survey of privately owned
water wells in areas geographically and geologically similar to those mines. One
hundred fifty-eight (158) water samples were collected from wells ranging from
surface springs to 100 foot wells. The geographical area covered extended from
Dickinson to Belfield and from Bowman to the Killdeer Mountains. Twenty-six
percent (26%) of the water supplies sampled exceeded the USEPA proposed maximum
contaminant level (MCL) for uranium of 20 micrograms per liter (ug/l), and 14%
exceeded 100 ug/l. Repeat sampling in 1992 confirmed the elevated
concentrations.

The National Uranium Resource Evaluation (NURE) Project, HSSR report
documents 575 well and surface water samples collected from western North Dakota
for uranium and select trace metals analyses. The report for the Dickinson 1o x
2o Quadrangle shows that 12% of the samples collected exceed 20 ug/l uranium,
and 3% exceed 100 ug/l.

A health risk exists for persons consuming uranium tainted water due to its
chemical toxicity. Detrimental effects on the renal system have been documented
for several compounds containing uranium. Appropriate water treatment is
recommended for water supplies exceeding 100 ug/l uranium.

Most of the water supplies sampled in these surveys are completed in the
upper Sentinel Butte and Golden Valley Formations, and the White River Group.
The majority of samples were collected from relatively shallow water wells,
which supports the hypothesis that natural uranium mineralization generally
occurs within 300 vertical feet of the Golden Valley/Sentinel Butte contact.
However, archived geophysical logs of uranium test drilling show strong
deflections in gamma logs at greater depths. This may indicate that uranium
mineralization has a much larger vertical range than was previously expected.

INTRODUCTION

In support of reclamation activities by the North Dakota Public Service
Commission, the North Dakota Department of Health, Division of Water Quality,
conducted groundwater monitoring at four abandoned uraniferous lignite mines.
During the monitoring, it was discovered that water from some shallow aquifers
outside the mine boundaries exhibited naturally occurring uranium concentrations
as high as 13,000 micrograms per liter (ug/l). The United States Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) recently proposed a maximum contaminant level (MCL) of
20 ug/l for public water supplies, based on the chemical toxicity of processe1d
uranium and uraniumbearing compounds encountered in industry. For this reason,
the department chose to survey a limited number of private water supplies in
geologically similar areas of southwestern North Dakota. The field survey was
carried out in 1991 and 1992. A total of 234 water samples were collected from
186 farms and homes in an area extending from Bowman and Adams Counties to the
Killdeer Mountains, and from the eastern edge of the Badlands to Richardton in
Stark County. Figure
1 shows the areas covered by this survey. Air and water samples for radon
analysis were collected from 30 residences during confirmation sampling in
1992.

During the early stages of this project, two resource evaluation studies were
encountered and reviewed. One is an unpublished uranium prospect conducted
between 1975 and 1977 by Dr. Cooper Land. This project, covering several
counties in southwestern North Dakota, in part consisted of collecting 2,864
water supply samples. The second project, that portion of the National Uranium
Resource Evaluation (NURE) Project carried out in southwestern North Dakota,
consisted in part of collecting 575 water supply samples (Union Carbide
Corporation, 1980). Data from these two projects are also discussed in this
report. Figures
2 and 3
show the areal extent of these surveys.

The area covered by these three studies include the counties of Bowman,
Adams, Hettinger, Slope, Billings, Stark, and Dunn Counties in western North
Dakota. (Golden Valley, Grant, Sioux, Morton, Oliver, Mercer, and McKenzie
Counties are also areas of concern due to similar geologic conditions and a lack
of data regarding uranium occurrences).

The area, located on the Missouri Plateau of the Great Plains physiographic
province, is found within the Missouri River Basin. The major watersheds of this
area are Cedar Creek and BowmanHaley, and the Cannonball, Heart,and Little
Missouri Rivers. The terrain consists largely of unglaciated rolling plains,
with scattered buttes (Trapp et al., 1975). Along the Little Missouri and
Missouri Rivers, Badlands topography dominates in the western portion of the
area, giving way to steep bluffs in the eastern portion along the Missouri
River.

The study area is characterized by bedrock sediments of Cretaceous and
Tertiary age, proceeding stratigraphically from the Cretaceous Pierre Formation
to remnants of the White River Formation. The most extensive geologic formations
of the area and major focus of this study are the Tertiary Sentinel Butte and
Bullion Creek Formations. Also prominent in the study, but of much less areal
extent, is the Tertiary Golden Valley Formation which overlies the Sentinel
Butte Formation. The geology of this portion of the state is well described by
John Bluemle (Bluemle, 1983), Ed Murphy (Murphy et al., 1993), and Art Jacob
(Jacob, 1976) of the North Dakota Geological Survey.

Uranium-bearing lignites generally occur less than 350 vertical feet below
the unconformity which separates the White River Group sediments from the
underlying sediments (Jacob, 1976) of the Golden Valley and Sentinel Butte
Formations. Most of the sedimentary rock directly below this unconformity
belongs to the Fort Union Group. The uraniumbearing lignites generally occur
directly above or below a sandstone aquifer. The widely accepted explanation of
mineralization is that percolating groundwater leached uranium from layers high
in the stratigraphic section. The most likely source beds seem to be the White
River Group and the Arikaree Formation. These sediments are thought to have
contained several volcanic ash deposits from which the uranium leached. Rocks of
these units reportedly contain uranium concentrations 12 times that of average
sedimentary rocks (Denson et al., 1959). The Golden Valley Formation also holds
potential as a uranium source (Murphy, personal communication, 1993).

As the uranium-bearing groundwater moved vertically through the underlying
strata, it would naturally follow the path of least resistance along permeable
sandstone aquifers. This would continue until the uraniumbearing groundwater
came into contact with beds rich in organic carbon (i.e., lignites and highly
carbonaceous shales). The strong affinity of uranium for organic carbon
concentrated the uranium in an amorphous organouranium complex in and near these
high carbon beds.

METHODS

North Dakota Health Department Survey. Based on
literature and a limited amount of sampling data, it appeared that uranium
mineralization was vertically limited. Deep monitoring wells at the abandoned
uraniferous lignite mines had significantly lower concentrations of uranium than
did the shallow wells. The geology also suggested that deposition of the uranium
was limited to the upper portions of the Sentinel Butte Formation along
topographic highs. For these reasons, the original plan for the private well
survey was to locate water sources associated mainly with topographic highs,
stratigraphically high in the Sentinel Butte Formation. With the assistance of
the North Dakota Geological Survey, a list of buttes occurring high in this
formation was compiled. During this compilation, however, further consideration
of the uranium prospecting history and other geologic data caused the department
to add the Little Badlands region and areas in Adams, Bowman, and Dunn Counties
to the study area. The department targeted the flanks of the buttes in the
Sentinel Butte Formation, the flanks of the Killdeer Mountains, and areas of
known uranium occurrence. The survey was initially limited to wells with depths
of less than 150 feet, although this number was later reduced to 100 feet based
on the number of wells encountered.

Sampling was begun in July 1991. At each location, the owner or operator was
interviewed to determine whether the water supply well met the depth criteria.
Information regarding depth, construction, age, and use was collected from the
owner. Independent verification through a drilling log search was not attempted
for this project. Each sampler carried topographic maps and recorded ground
elevation at the wellhead as accurately as possible.

Water samples at each well were collected after flushing the system for at
least 5 minutes or until a representative aquifer sample was obtained.
Unpreserved samples were collected in 1-liter polypropylene containers for
inorganic anion analysis. Samples preserved with 2 milliliters (ml) of
concentrated nitric acid were collected in 200-ml polyethylene containers for
cation, arsenic, selenium, and uranium analyses. All containers were double
rinsed with the source water prior to collection. A goal of 10 percent duplicate
samples was maintained during the project. Immediately after collection, all
samples were stored in iced coolers for transport to the laboratory.
Field-holding time ranged from 2 to 7 days before delivery to the laboratory.
The uranium sample containers were delivered to Minnesota Valley Testing
Laboratories in Bismarck, where they were repacked and shipped to Energy Labs in
Casper, Wyoming for analysis. The other sample containers were delivered to the
Health Department's chemistry laboratory for analysis. Analytical data received
from the laboratories has been stored in a database management system designed
for the purpose.

After preliminary analysis of the accumulated data, it was decided to
resample all water supplies which exceeded the EPA-proposed MCL of 20 ug/l. The
depth requirement was waived for the confirmation samples, and if possible, all
water supplies on the targeted premises were sampled to determine the vertical
distribution of uranium occurrence at that location. This second round also
provided the opportunity to slightly expand sampling in areas of poor coverage
in the first round. The round of confirmation sampling was carried out in April
1992. Analytical results were forwarded to the well owners with a brief
explanation of the significance of the findings.

In addition to the sampling described above, air and water sampling for radon
was added to the list of confirmation parameters during the follow-up sampling.
Radon sample containers and pertinent questionnaires were provided by the Health
Department's Division of Environmental Engineering through a contract with Niton
Corporation. Roughly half of the collected confirmation samples included
duplicate water samples for radon. Due to the very short half life of radon, all
water samples for radon were packaged and shipped to Niton Corporation
Laboratories by U.S. Mail at the end of each sampling day or the next morning.
Water samples were collected for radon analysis in 40-ml, glass, noheadspace
bottles. All phases of water sample collection were carried out by field
personnel.

Air sampling was initiated at 31 locations. Two samples were collected per
household. Sample containers consisted of charcoal traps contained in sealable,
20-ml polyethylene containers. Placement of the containers was discussed with
the homeowner and determined by the field personnel. Due to the 48-hour sampling
period and the need to minimize transit time to the Niton Corporation
Laboratories, homeowners were to start or finish (or both) the tests and mail
the sample vials. Department personnel explained all appropriate procedures and
filled out all paperwork, except time and date of sample completion.

Water samples delivered to the Health Department's Chemistry Laboratory were
logged into the laboratory's system and stored at 4o Celsius until analysis.
Major cation analyses were performed on a Perkin Elmer, PII Inductively Coupled,
Plazma-Atomic Emission Spectrometer, in accordance with EPA Method 200.7. The
analyses for carbonate, bicarbonate, total alkalinity, and hydroxide were
performed on a Mettler DL25 autotitrator (EPA Method 310.1). The analyses for
chloride and sulfate were performed on a Lachat QuickChem flow injection system
(EPA Methods 325.2 and 375.4, respectively). Fluoride determination was
accomplished by ion selective electrode (EPA Method 340.2). Specific
conductivity was determined on a Wheatstone Bridge (EPA Method 120.1), and
laboratory pH was determined by ion selective electrode (EPA Method 150.1). The
trace element analyses for arsenic and selenium were performed on a Perkin
Elmer, Zeeman 5100 PC, graphite furnace atomic absorption unit (EPA Methods
206.2 and 270.2, respectively). Uranium analyses were performed by Energy Labs
on a Jarrell Ash fluorimeter (EPA Method 908.1).

National Uranium Resource Evaluation Survey. The NURE survey was
carried out as a resource evaluation and was thus geared toward geochemical
prospecting. The objective of the survey was to achieve a uniform sampling of an
extremely large area, from which to draw conclusions as to the potential
reserves of uranium in the Midwest and West. Due to the emphasis on uniform area
coverage, well depth and stratigraphic position were not factors in choice of
sampling location. All samples collected in North Dakota were shipped to and
analyzed by Oak Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Laboratories. The reader is referred to
the published reports for further information on the methodology of that
study.The data gathered within the Dickinson 1oX2o quadrangle for the NURE
study was obtained in second generation digital format from the U.S. Geological
Survey. The data was then reformatted into a personal computer-compatible format
for analysis. Data required from the Glendive and Miles City, Montana NURE
surveys was gleaned from microfiche copies of the reports and added to the data
management system.

Dr. Cooper Land Survey. The water sample collection carried out by Dr.
Land was also directed toward geochemical prospecting. Dr. Land chose to collect
as many samples as possible from potentially leasable properties in southwestern
North Dakota. Being one of the first large-scale surveys in that portion of the
state, no particular depth limitations were placed on the wells sampled. The
samples were collected by two local residents hired by Dr. Land and shipped to
Bismarck for reshipment to an out-of-state laboratory. Fluorimetric methods of
analysis were used, with an apparent detection limit of 2 ug/l.The data from
Dr. Land's survey was stored in hard copy form, and after release to the North
Dakota Geological Survey and the Health Department, was entered into a
computerized data management system.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

1991-1992 North Dakota Health Department Water
Quality Survey, Uranium Occurrence. Initial and confirmation samples were
combined into one group for analysis. Where confirmation samples were collected,
the initial and confirmation samples were averaged. The arithmetic average
uranium concentration for all wells sampled was 46.84 ug/l. Forty-eight of the
water supplies (25.8 percent) exceeded the proposed MCL of 20 ug/l uranium, and
26 supplies (14 percent) exceeded 100 ug/l.Water supplies sampled in this
survey included shallow, developed springs at the ground surface ranging to
wells greater than 200 feet in depth; average depth was 79 feet. Water supplies
with uranium concentrations above the MCL showed average well depths of
significantly less than the overall average. This generally suggests that
uranium has been accumulating at shallow depths. Data has been categorized in
the same way for each county where samples were collected. A synopsis of the
data is shown below.

1991-92 URANIUM CONCENTRATIONS AND WELL DEPTHS BY
COUNTY--------Frequency---------

Some of the numbers used here are averages of two or more samples from the
same well. In the extreme case, an initial sample contained over 600 ug/l
uranium, while a follow-up sample taken nine months later contained only 2 ug/l.
The highest concentration of nearly 1,200 ug/l (northeast of Belfield) dropped
measurably when averaged with subsequent samples, although the drop was not
nearly as radical as the extreme case mentioned. A study of short term variation
in uranium concentration was outside the scope of this survey.

Radon Occurrences. Of the 31 air samples initiated for radon analysis,
28 analytical results were received by the department. Sixty-eight percent, or
19 households, exceeded the recommended MCL of 4 picocuries per liter (Pci/l).
An additional three households were within one Pci/l of the MCL. Several
analyses were questionable due to inappropriate logging of sampling duration by
the homeowner; however, adjustments made at the laboratory allow cautious use of
those analytical results. Air radon concentrations from the sampled households
averaged 11.6 Pci/l, with values ranging from 0.6 Pci/l to 73.4 Pci/l. Minimum
and maximum values represent averages of the two vials exposed in each
household. Where sampling was carried out on two levels of the home, radon
concentrations in the lower level were significantly higher in nearly all cases.
A full listing of the analytical results can be found in Appendix B.

Groundwater samples were collected for radon analysis only from wells plumbed
directly into the household and used for drinking water purposes. Thirty such
groundwater samples were collected, 23 in duplicate. The average radon
concentration in groundwater for all 30 sampled households was 2,532 Pci/l,
ranging from a minimum of 125 Pci/l to a maximum of 12,474 Pci/l in duplicated
samples. Only three of the households exhibited radon concentrations below the
proposed MCL of 300 Pci/l for public water supplies. Two more water supplies
showed less than 400 Pci/l.

1975-77 Cooper Land Uranium Prospect. The data collected by Dr. Cooper
Land was subjected to a similar analysis. A total of 2,864 water supply samples
were collected. The arithmetic average uranium concentration was 19.04 ug/l. A
total of 530 water supplies (18.5 percent) exceeded the proposed MCL of 20 ug/l
uranium, and 81 supplies (2.9 percent) exceeded 100 ug/l.

Water supplies sampled in this survey ranged from shallow, surface springs to
wells of more than 2000 feet; average depth was 149 feet. The majority of water
supplies exhibiting uranium concentrations greater than 20 ug/l were completed
at depths a great deal less than the average. The statistical data has been
categorized by county in the same way as the Health Department data. A brief
summary of the data is given in the following table.

1975-77 URANIUM CONCENTRATIONS AND WELL DEPTHS BY
COUNTY--------Frequency----------

1979 National Uranium Resource Evaluation (NURE) Project. The data
collected during the 1979 NURE Projects in western North Dakota covers an area
from northeast of Dickinson to the Montana borders and to within a few miles of
the South Dakota border. A total of 575 water samples were collected from water
supplies during this survey, with 80 samples showing uranium concentrations in
excess of 20 ug/l, and 19 in excess of 100 ug/l. The average concentration of
uranium was 15.8 ug/l, and the highest reported concentration of uranium in
groundwater was 760 ug/l.Water supplies sampled in this survey included
shallow, surface springs and wells ranging to depths greater than 4,000 feet;
average depth was 221 feet. A synopsis of data similar to that performed for the
preceding surveys is given below. Data was not categorized by county for this
study.

In addition to groundwater sampling, the NURE teams collected 531 stream
sediment samples from drainage basins averaging 10 square miles in area. The
average uranium concentration in the stream sediments was 2,820 micrograms per
kilogram (ug/kg), with a minimum recorded concentration of 1000 ug/kg and a
maximum recorded concentration of 18,000 ug/kg. A total of 171 sediment samples
exceeded the average concentration of 2,820 ug/kg. Depth and Geologic
Considerations Regarding Uranium. All three regional studies seem to support
the mineralization model of Denson and Gill (Denson et al., 1965) described
earlier. The most highly concentrated and widespread occurrences of uranium in
groundwater appear to be found in aquifers fairly near the land surface. The
majority of elevated uranium concentrations occur at depths of less than 150
feet.

As described earlier, the Health Department's survey targeted geologic and
topographic areas most likely to show elevated concentrations of uranium. The
survey of 186 water supplies sampled only 25 wells which had reported depths of
greater than 100 feet. Only three exceeded 20 ug/l uranium.

While the Health Department survey was designed to locate wells meeting a
depth criterion of less than 150 feet, Dr. Land's survey and the NURE survey did
not have depth limitations. Since the objective of the Land Survey was to locate
uranium deposits, all wells encountered within areas of possible mineral leases
were sampled. The average well depth was 149 feet. A total of 703 wells of
greater than 150 feet in depth were sampled, with 450 of these wells exceeding
200 feet of depth. Of the 703 wells, 34 had water samples exceeding 20 ug/l
uranium. Only two samples exceeded 100 ug/l.

One of the criteria of the NURE survey was an approximately uniform coverage
of the project area. The average well depth was 221 feet. In the NURE survey of
575 wells, 297 exceeded 100 feet in depth, and 220 exceeded 200 feet. Only eight
of the wells greater than 100 feet in depth exceeded 20 ug/l uranium, however.

The relationship of well depth to uranium concentration is clearly shown in
Figures
4, 5,
and 6,
which plot the two parameters for each survey. There is a marked break in
uranium concentrations at well depths of about 150 feet. Most of the elevated
uranium concentrations in each survey occur at depths of less than 150 feet. For
depths over 150 feet, uranium concentrations are generally quite low.

Spatially, it appears that well depth increases in the southern portion of
the study areas. Figure
7 shows the sampling density of the combined surveys, and Figure
8 shows those locations where well depths exceed 150 feet. Data from the
three studies show that well depths average 24 feet deeper in the four southern
counties. There also seems to be a slightly higher incidence of elevated uranium
concentrations in wells over 150 feet deep in the southern four counties,
although most uranium still occurs at depths of less than 100 feet. Figure
9 shows this spatial distribution. There is also data which has come to
light through the work of Ed Murphy (Murphy,personal communication, 1993), which
supports the theory of a much broader vertical distribution of uranium in this
area. Gamma Ray geophysical records from exploration drilling show strong
responses to certain strata at greater depths. This same type of response occurs
in shallow zones where uranium deposits have been confirmed. If these gamma
"kicks" do indeed represent uranium or related radioactive mineralization, then
depth generalizations cannot be made without further investigation of the
distribution, concentration, and solubility of uranium in these deposits.

The integral role of lignite beds or highly carbonaceous strata cannot be
confirmed by these studies due to the nature of the sampling methods. Lithologic
logs for sampled wells were not available from the owners, and unless their
water was organically stained, most did not remember whether lignite beds had
been penetrated during drilling. Many of the wells predate the water well
construction reporting law, although some information may now be available. It
is assumed, however, that the accepted mineralization model applies across the
area and at all depths. Review of exploration activity records may verify the
presence of highly carbonaceous beds immediately above or below affected
sandstone aquifers.

POPULATION AT RISK

In at least one of the surveys, samples have been
collected in the counties of Adams, Billings, Bowman, Dunn, Golden Valley,
Grant, Hettinger, Mercer, Morton, Slope, and Stark. Few samples were collected
from Grant, Morton, and Mercer Counties, and no samples were collected from
McKenzie, Oliver, and Sioux Counties. However, since sampling has shown that
uranium occurs in most of the stratigraphic units southwest of the Missouri
River, all counties will be included in the following analysis. According to the
1990 Census, the populations of the included counties total 90,757. Of that
number, 32,644 people reside in rural settings. The Census also estimates that
13,114 rural households (2.5 persons per household) rely on privately owned
wells or springs for water supply. These water supplies are not regulated by the
Safe Drinking Water Act and, therefore, are not regularly tested for extensive
water quality parameters.

In 1992, the Health Department's Municipal Facilities Division conducted a
limited survey of public water supplies for the presence of radon and uranium.
Two facilities per county were targeted across the state, and at each facility,
samples were collected from the shallowest and deepest groundwater supply. For
the counties included in this project, the survey revealed that the sampled
supplies had levels near or below detection levels for uranium and generally
close to or greater than the proposed MCL for radon in water. As shown in the
previous discussion, it generally appears that most uranium mineralization
occurs at depths of less than 150 feet. Due to the limited number of public
facilities sampled, these supplies should be further investigated. Appendix E
lists the public water supplies and populations served in southwestern North
Dakota, along with the well depths on record with the Health Department. By
applying a depth criterion of 150 feet and by eliminating surface water supplies
and those systems which have been sampled and found safe, the populations of 12
public water systems have been included in the potential population at risk from
uranium intake through drinking water. The total population being served by
these 12 systems is 9,813, which averages 817.8 persons per system.

By weighting the averages in the three data sets, the gross possibility of
encountering uranium concentrations greater than 20 ug/l in a water supply was
calculated at 18.2 percent. Applying this factor to the number of rural and
public water supplies shows that 2,386 private supplies and two public supplies
have the potential to exhibit uranium concentrations greater than 20 ug/l. Those
samples exhibiting concentrations greater than 100 ug/l compose 3.5 percent of
the sample sets. By applying this factor in the same manner, it is possible that
459 private water supplies will have levels exceeding 100 ug/l uranium. There is
also a 40 percent chance that one public water supply will have a uranium level
exceeding 100 ug/l. This translates into a human population of 7,602 potentially
consuming water exceeding 20 ug/l uranium, and 1,965 potentially consuming water
exceeding 100 ug/l. The above population figures are averages and estimates. A
worst case scenario could show significantly higher numbers, particularly in
regard to public water supplies not yet tested. The populations served by the
public systems range in size from 25 to 3,363. In a worst case, the total
population exposed to levels of uranium greater than 20 ug/l could exceed
12,600.

Long-Term Variation of Uranium in Groundwater. Selected data from Dr.
Land's and the Health Department's data sets were compared for long-term uranium
concentration variations. Although a rigorous analysis was not attempted due to
the uncertainty of matching wells in both studies, some wells appearing in both
data sets were compared. It does not appear that there has been any significant
change over the 17 years separating these two surveys. The uranium
concentrations in identified wells were strikingly similar in both studies and
well within the ranges which would be expected, given technology and laboratory
changes. No attempt was made to compare either of these two data sets with the
NURE data set due to differences in data format.

CONCLUSIONS

Three independent surveys were performed between 1975 and
1992 determining the concentration of uranium in drinking water sources in
southwestern North Dakota. The largest (in number of samples collected) and
earliest of the three was conducted by Dr. Cooper Land from 1975 to 1977. Dr.
Land's results showed that nearly 18.5 percent of the samples collected exceeded
20 ug/l uranium, and 3 percent exceeded 100 ug/l. The second survey, conducted
on behalf of the U.S. Department of Energy, covered the largest area in the most
uniform manner. This NURE survey showed that 13.9 percent of the samples
exceeded 20 ug/l uranium, and 3.3 percent exceeded 100 ug/l. The latest survey,
completed for this investigation, was the smallest and most focused. While a
great deal of geographic area was covered, only regions predicted to have
elevated uranium occurrences were considered. This survey found that 25.8
percent of the water supplies sampled exceeded 20 ug/l, and 14 percent exceeded
100 ug/l uranium. A weighted average of all three surveys showed that 18.2
percent of the water supplies in southwestern North Dakota have uranium levels
potentially exceeding 20 ug/l uranium, and 3.5 percent have levels potentially
exceeding 100 ug/l.

Literature regarding the health risk involved with long-term consumption of
naturally occurring uranium in drinking water is sparse. The EPA has proposed an
MCL of 20 ug/l in public drinking water supplies, which may be overly protective
for private water supplies. According to several pieces of literature and EPA,
long-term consumption of up to 100 ug/l would probably pose little or no health
risk, except to certain hypersensitive individuals. Therefore, the Health
Department is advising all homeowners that they should be aware of the presence
of uranium in their drinking water at concentrations between 20 and 100 ug/l,
and should consider an alternate water supply or water treatment if their
drinking water exceeds 100 ug/l.

Although detailed analysis of the chemical and physical associations of
uranium in groundwater was not within the scope of this study, some
generalizations may be suggested. The general depth of water wells in
southwestern North Dakota is less than 150 feet, and the highest percentage of
elevated uranium occurrences seem to be in this range. However, information from
the North Dakota Geological Survey has raised some questions regarding deeper
formations which may also exhibit high uranium content. The majority of uranium
occurrences appear in waters having total dissolved solids (or mineral content)
below 2,000 mg/l. This is probably directly related to the relatively shallow
depths of withdrawal.